FOREST ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

• Ecological studies in natural forests of Madhya Pradesh

• Environmental Impact Assessment

• Sustainable Forest Management

• Resource assessment in PPAs.

Staff:

Project Staff:

Dr. (Mrs.) S.K. Saini	:	Women Scientist (DST Fellow)
Shri Shailendra Nema	:	Junior Research Fellow

A. ON-GOING PROJECTS

1. Forest Resource assessment survey in five newly identified People’s Protected Areas (PPAs) i.e. in South Betul, South Sagar, Chhatarpur, Harda and Narsinghpur forest divisions of Madhya Pradesh.

Objectives:

• Forest resource assessment survey both qualitative and quantitative with reference to medicinal, aromatic plants and other utilizable NTFPs in various habitat types of selected new 5 PPAs  situated in South Betul, South Sagar, Chhatarpur, Harda and Narsinghpur forest divisions respectively.

• To determine the status & potential of NTFPs and medicinal plants in each PPA.

2. Determination of sustainable harvesting limits of commercially important wild medicinal plant  species in natural forests  with active participation of users  forest dependent communities in Chhindwara  District of Madhya Pradesh.

Objectives:

• Ecological studies and inventory of commercially important NTFPs in potentially rich forest areas.

• Status of commercially important NTFPs in the natural forests.

• Determination of harvesting limit of the selected NTFPs which are regularly harvested and marketed in the area with active community participation.

• To develop species specific sustainable harvesting limit (SHL) of selected species for sustainable management through users communities and institutional stakeholders under JFM.

• Training and awareness programme for local communities.

3. Development and implementation of sustainable harvesting technologies of commercially important non-timber forest products with local community participation in tribal dominated tropical forests of district Mandla of Madhya Pradesh.

Objectives:

• Determination of sustainable harvesting limit of commercially important non-timber forest produces (NTFPs) through user's tribal communities participation in natural tropical forests.

• Development of model for livelihood security by developing skill and capabilities of forest dependent tribal communities through sustainable use of forest resources.

• Demonstration and dissemination of sustainable collection practices, processing and value addition of collected forest produce.

• Introduction/cultivation of commercially important NTFP species simulating natural conditions.